Kate Middleton uses this unexpected $1 accessory to achieve flawless hair, and people are rushing out to buy their own

Hairnet sales have skyrocketed since news broke that Kate Middleton uses the $1 accessory to create her perfect up-dos.

Kate Middleton's love for hairnets gives fans a chance to steal her look for less.

Hairnets are a royal family beauty tradition, used to ensure Middleton's locks are sleek and flyaway-free.

If we've learned anything from the Meghan and Kate effects, it's that the world is obsessed with knowing exactly how the royal family dresses and accessorizes, and is willing to spend a pretty penny to copy their looks. So when it was reported last week that the secret to Kate Middleton's perfectly coiffed up-dos was a $1 hair accessory, we knew that it was only a matter of time until the Kate effect took a place.

A week after outlets like Hello! and PopSugar reported that the 36-year-old duchess uses hairnets (you know, those things chefs sometimes wear to keep hair out of your food) to ensure her locks are sleek and flyaway-free when wearing tidy up-dos, sales have skyrocketed for the unexpected hair accessory. According to British retailer Superdrug (essentially, the U.K.'s equivalent to CVS), hairnet sales have increased by nearly 40 percent.

The Duchess uses hairnets to ensure her locks are sleek and flyaway-free.
Sean Gallup/Getty Images

According to a Daily Mail interview with Superdrug's head of beauty, Meg Potter, Middleton's affinity for hairnets—which are a royal family beauty tradition—provides fans a chance to steal her beauty secrets without breaking the bank. At Superdrug, a pack of two hairnets retails for a mere £1.09 ($1.52 in the U.S.)

"Sometimes the classics are the best and the hairnet is a great example of a simple idea which can achieve the best results—without the need for fancy technology or expensive ingredients," Potter said. 'To hear a humble hairnet is the secret to keeping The Duchess' up-dos in place and looking sleek is a far cry from all the usual high-end gadgets and beauty lovers have rushed out to pick up hairnets in a bid to recreate these fabulous looks."

Fans can steal her beauty secret without breaking the bank.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images

To look like the Duchess of Cambridge for a buck and a half? We don't know about you, but that's reason enough to run to the drugstore immediately. There's no fighting the Kate effect, so we might as well embrace it.

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